Amazing student: Rilee Racine

Franklin College double-major (biology, psychology) and future M.D. Rilee Racine will be among those cheering from the sidelines in South Bend this weekend:

I served as a biochemistry peer mentor, selected to facilitate student learning and understanding in undergraduate biochemistry under Dr. Paula Lemons. Dr. Lemons stands out among my favorite professors and it was an honor working under her as a peer mentor. Additionally, UGA offered several avenues to become involved in organizations around campus. I was invited to join Alpha Epsilon Delta pre-medical Honor Society and helped to bring a Christian Medical and Dental Association chapter to UGA’s campus. I have also been involved in the executive board for the STEM Research Alliance Human Practices Team, aiming to inspire a love for science in the next generation, and the UGA Love Your Melon Campus Crew, which aims to aid children battling cancer in America. One of my favorite organizational experiences, however, is participating in UGA’s Relay for Life ceremony in the spring.

This past spring, I traveled with Medlife, a nonprofit organization that provides medical aid and education to low-income communities around the world, to Lima, Peru. This is perhaps one of the most rewarding experiences I will take from my undergraduate career. It was amazing we could help provide medical care through mobile clinics to individuals who lacked access to health care in their communities. This trip opened my eyes to the vastness of the health care disparity globally, and I hope to continue traveling and providing health care abroad in the future.

At UGA, I was also allowed to work inside a state of the art, non-invasive exercise muscle physiology lab with Dr. Kevin McCully. We use infrared spectroscopy to measure tissue saturation levels in skeletal tissue so we can study blood flow and metabolism. I did not foresee myself enjoying research; however, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself excited to go into the lab each day. Working in this lab, in addition to personal experiences as a patient, transformed my view of research and focused my attention on the importance it has on the future of medicine.

Making the most of her many UGA experiences - learning from the best of our faculty, studying internationally, inspiring collaborations. A university builds itself into a powerhouse of dynamic academic and experiential learning opportunites, which in turn attract the best students and faculty. The symbiosis creates an environment where students can thrive beyond our imagining. There is great pride in their accomplishments, and humility in appreciating the students who rise to amazing heights. We salute and congratulation Rilee Racine - truly extraordinary.